Marine Electric Propulsion System
Over 90 percent of world trade is carried across the world’s oceans by some 90,000 marine vessels and the marine sector would be unable to meet the CO2 emission standards for 2030 and 2050. Currently, maritime shipping total to less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emission but is projected to increase to 17% by 2050 due to the slow advancement of marine technology.
With the growing demands for clean energy, the path towards FER systems is inevitable. Sea Forrest advocates for a change in this industry through a plug-in hybrid retrofit and new buildings for the vessel. The FER and Parallel Hybrid sees to potentially reduce carbon emission by up to 20%.
For current traditional vessels, engines are not turned off when vessels are loitering. However, for the Parallel Hybrid Design, propulsion of the vessel can be by engine and/or electric motor through two modes: Eco and Power Mode.
Eco Mode sets the vessel to only use electrical propulsion at slower speeds, only using a single engine to kick in and run the propulsion when there is a speed increase. The engine will only remain on if the speed increases further. Power Mode is like the Eco Mode however it allows for the motors to boost the speed of the vessel for a short time.
This Parallel Hybrid system allows for the same operation function of a normal diesel engine propulsion system. With slower speeds, the vessel will operate like an electric vessel. While at higher speeds, the propulsion system operates like a normal diesel vessel. This makes the system suitable for vessels that use a full range of speed and have long loitering times.
Combined with the Energy Cube, the Parallel Hybrid system has its electric motor coupled to the engine to charge the Energy Cube, the energy stored could be used as hotel load, electric propulsion and as a booster when the ship needs an increase of speed. This energy cube is also compatible with an FER system as well.
This hybrid retrofit serves as a transitional process to the futures of the FER system by offering step-changes to our key contributors, making hybridisation more convenient and economical for owners.
Installation of Singapore’s first hybrid propulsion system on Penguin Tenaga has allowed for Sea Forrest to gain valuable experience allowing us to continue improving and meeting the unique requirements of every customer.
